The CyanogenMod team is hard at work making the popular ROM more user-friendly and ready for the mainstream. After taking the wraps off its partnership with fledgling device maker OnePlus last week, CM is releasing its new gallery app to Google Play for beta testing. It is called (fittingly) GalleryNext.

Like a lot of other gallery apps, GalleryNext displays your content as a vertically scrollable grid of thumbnails. The left slide-out menu is used to choose which media sources you want displayed, and how you want them organized. For example, you can have just local content shown and break things up into blocks based on timestamps with the Moments view. There are also folder (Albums) and regular list (Media) views. In addition to local content, GalleryNext can connect to cloud sources including Dropbox, Flickr, Picasa, and Facebook.

The organization feels a bit awkward right now, but again, it's beta. GalleryNext has some neat animations, but thumbnail rendering seems pretty buggy at the moment (as seen on the Nexus 5). However, responsiveness is solid, even with a lot of media.

This is a typical Google Play beta test, which means you have to hit the Google+ community first and join up. After that's done, opt into the beta test and download the app normally (the link below won't work if you don't join the beta). This app is as new as it gets, so expect a few glitches.

I started using it when Gallery3D was made default on my HTC Wildfire, meaning I couldn't browse my photos :')

Sir_Brizz

Only problem with QuickPic is that it doesn't sync with cloud sources. GalleryNext has a Picasa connector which could be the end of all of the things I hate about the CM gallery.

Elliot Kotis

Photo's app.

Craig M

I'm running cm11 on my Nexus 5 with immersive mode enabled at all times. PIE navigation all the way baby!

Prezes Dyrektor

PIE for the uber win! Add Button Savior and you are grand.

how can ppl live with those nav bars...

Ajanu

The status bar is auto-hiding now in many apps. With gravity box my nav bar is as small as I can deal with, and has long press actions for all three buttons. I don't get how people like having nav buttons hidden on a phone. Thankfully we are not stuck using our phones the way someone else thinks we want to/should!

All ROMs are skins. Hell, anything not AOSP are skins, including the one included in Google's own Nexus line -- some parts in the Nexus aren't even part of the AOSP, which means, no OEMs can include them w/o licensing from Google.

I think the key is whether the skin violates the basic design principal of the AOSP Android OS.

I noticed this when 4.3 source was dropped and CM still didn't have an "official release" of CM10.1.
OEM hasn't released an official build? Get the pitchforks.
CM hasn't released an official build? Crickets.

I get that, at the time, they were still doing this as a hobby, but there's no reason for the anger towards OEMs when we can see the process that CM goes through to get the bugs out.

Dmitri Smirnov

Yeah, except OEMs profit from selling the phones and don't update them because they feel this is the way to force to buy a new one (and save some money by not supporting the phone anymore). If CM doesn't release a build - it means they are understaffed, if you want to pitch in - send a letter to the list, commit a patch, do something. If you want to help OEM get an update out the door, guess what their answer will be?
So stop comparing these things, the motivation behind them is different, so are the responces to it.

Paul Taylor

CM is in the phone/profit game now, so I wonder how long this will remain true.

Björn Lundén

That's only a small subset of the people in the CM team though. Don't make the mistake of assuming Cyanogen Inc == CyanogenMod.

Paul Taylor

Fair enough, but that's going to be an easy mistake to make unless they start making things clearer...

I get the motivation is different, which I addressed when I said that they are doing is as a hobby. I'm not complaining about the time CM takes to make an official release. I'm saying that we have an insider's look at what the OEM does when they are updating because we see how many nightlies, milestones, and release candidates CM goes through before they release something. The OEMs don't just get the code and have something working the next day. It takes a while.

ganimede

It's opensource, what hypocrites, you dumbass. No one can complain about an opensource forks, never.

Dmitri Smirnov

Well, since Google is dropping AOSP version of apps and shoving everything into Google+, then CM is becoming the closest thing to what android should be. And open source mobile OS.
Right now gallery is scrapped and replaced by Google+ Photos, so is MMS/SMS (with Goole+ Hangouts).
So stop calling people hypocrites just because they want open software without bloat. Blindly worshipping Google is stupid.

AndroidUser00110001

Last I checked Gallery, Calendar, SMS and Launcher app are still in AOSP so I don't see how you can say Google is dropping AOSP apps. Google can come out with their own apps and still keep the basic stuff in AOSP.

Steve B

Dropping is the wrong word. Google is abandoning those apps. They will never see updates again.

Björn Lundén

They have actually updated Calendar with most new features as part of the 4.4 drop after having seemingly abandoned it for a while. Launcher3 is also very close to GEL. Gallery and SMS are however abandoned as you say.

Stacey Liu

Didn't Google just introduce a brand new editor into Gallery...?

jaduncan

a) an removable app isn't a skin
b) it's open source.

David Dudovitz

Do you need KK to use it? I don't yet have KK, only JB, and I can't get it to download.

Andy Stetson

you have to be running a CM based ROM. I can't use it on my stock based G2 rom (4.2.2), but works fine on my Carbon Rom Nexus 7 (4.3).

David Dudovitz

I'm running a PAC ROM on my Droid Incredible 2, which is 4.2.2. Google Play won't let me install. Maybe it need to either be 4.3, officially approved Cyanogen as opposed to hybrid PAC, or it simply doesn't like the old Inc 2.

Andy Stetson

Not sure, Carbon is CM/AOKP based, "official CM". May require 4.3+? You'd have to get in contact with Koush or someone at CM.

David Dudovitz

Do you have the apk? If you have it, I can test it.

Andy Stetson

SDK 18 for the one that I have. I'm running a 4.3 rom.

David Dudovitz

Google Play marks the version # as "varies with device", meaning there are clearly multiple versions. I just wish I can get my hands on a 4.2.2 version, if it exists.

David Dudovitz

I checked out the apk... it is sdk level 19, meaning it requires KitKat, not sure how you got it on your device. Maybe a diff. apk?

David Dudovitz

I someone can post the apk, I can try sideloading it.

roberto

Looks nice. I hope CM brings it to the play store. Companys shoulf learn to Start selling their single apps. Maybe I like the galerie but the Rest doesn't match my wishes. So why don't give me the chance to buy it?

Andy Stetson

It is in the play store, you need to join the beta community. Oh, and you have to be running a CM based ROM. I can't use it on my stock based G2 rom, but works fine on my Carbon Rom Nexus 7.